Milk carton with drinking straw



Nov. 2, 1965 w. A. PUGH, SR 3,215,329

MILK CARTON WITH DRINKING STRAW Original Filed 001;. 28, 1959 5Sheets-Sheet 1 William A. Pugh, 5/:

ZNVENTOR.

BY fiwaafizm aadyaway 29% Nov. 2, 1965 w. A. PUGH, SR 3,215,329

MILK CARTON WITH DRINKING STRAW Original Filed Oct. 28, 1959 sSheets-Sheet 2 William A. Pugh, Sn

ZNVENTOR.

Nov. 2, 1965 w. A. PUGH, SR

MILK CARTON WITH DRINKING STRAW 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Original Filed 001:.28, 1959 William A. Pug/7, S1:

INVENTOR.

Q BY W EM L and United States Patent M 3,215,329 MILK CARTON WITHDRHQKING STRA'W William A. Pugh, Sr., 5260 S. Harper Ave, Chicago 15,Ill.

Original application Oct. 28, 1959, Ser. No. 849,334, now Patent No.3,071,303. Divided and this application Nov. 29, 1962, Ser. No. 249,547

Claims. (Cl. 229-7) This application is a division of copendingapplication Serial No. 849,334, filed October 28, 1959, for Milk CartonWith Drinking Straw, now Patent No. 3,071,303.

The present invention generally relates to novel and improved structuralarrangements in beverage containers such as those normally employed formilk, fruit juices, carbonated beverages and the like.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a containerhaving incorporated into its construction a straw which is normallydistorted from its straight line condition to a bent condition so thatthe straw will be completely enclosed within the interior of thecontainer while the container is in sealed condition but which willimmediately pop out to a straight line condition for immediateconsumption of the liquid in the container when the container is openedin the usual manner.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a container incombination with a straw of resilient nature as set forth in thepreceding object in which the openable top portion of the container isprovided with means on the undersurface thereof for receiving the strawand for moving the straw to its straight line condition and otherwisefacilitating the orientation of the straw while the contents are beingconsumed through the straw in the usual manner.

Another important feature of the present invention is to provide acontainer construction which is quite simple in construction andrequiring very little modification to include the straw with the strawbeing inserted with a suitable type of straw dropping apparatus with thecontainer being closed and sealed in the usual manner.

Yet another important object of the present invention is to provide acontainer and straw combination in which the openable portion of the lidof the container includes a depending rigid tongue or flexible plateslidably and closely receiving and retaining the straw in position andwhich is easy to use, eifective for its particular purposes andgenerally inexpensive to manufacture.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a container in which the presentinvention is embodied;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially upon a planepassing along section line 2-2 of FIGURE 1 illustrating the containerand the straw;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the container similar to FIGURE 1 butwith the container opened and the straw in position for use;

FIGURE 4 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially upon a planepassing along section line 4-4 of FIGURE 3 illustrating the structuralarrangement of the container and straw when the straw is in position foruse;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmental plan view of the lid illustrating the materialfrom which the straw engaging element is formed;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view illustrating another form of the inventionin closed condition;

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view similar to FIGURE 6 but illustrating thisform of the invention in open condition;

3,215,329 Patented Nov. 2, 1965 FIGURE -8 is a perspective view ofanother form of the invention;

FIGURE 9 is a sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passingalong section line 9-9 of FIGURE 8 illustrating the details ofconstruction of this form of the invention;

FIGURE 10 is a perspective view of the form of the invention illustratedin FIGURE 8 with the plug closure open and the straw in position foruse;

FIGURE 1 1 is a perspective view of yet another form of the invention;

FIGURE 12 is a detailed sectional view taken substantially upon a planepassing along section line 12-12 of FIGURE 17 illustrating therelationship of the straw to the container; and

FIGURE 13 is a sectional view similar to FIGURE 12 but with thecontainer closed.

Referring now specifically to FIGURES 15 of the drawings, the numeral 10generally designates the container of the present invention which has adrinking straw 12 incorporated therein. The straw 12 preferably is ofplastic material having sufficient resiliency to straighten out to astraight line condition from being bent in substantially an angularcondition.

The container 10 includes a peripheral wall 14 which may be convenientlysquare, rectangular or round which is provided with a bottom 16 and atop orlid 18 all of which represent conventional construction. The top18 normally is provided with an openable closure member 20 which isfoldable along a fold line 22 and which is severable along a score line24 extending across the depending fiange 26 which connects the top orlid 18 to the peripheral wall 14. The outer periphery of the openableclosure 20 is sealed with a foil material of a metallic foil or the likedesignated by the numeral 28. Up to this point, the closure 20, asdescribed, is conventional but it includes an extension 30 extendingfrom the corner thereof and which is folded against the undersurface ofthe closure portion 20 and is preferably heat sealed thereto orotherwise secured thereto so that the extension 38 forms an underlyingflap in relation to the closure portion 20 and is formed in the sameshape. The carton is plastic coated both inside and outside to providethe necessary seal.

The portion of the flap 30 underlying the closure portion 20 is providedwith a generally U-shaped cut-out portion 32 which forms a platform 34hinged to the flap 30 along a fold line 36 generally paralleling thefold line 22 with the platform 34 being freely swingable in relation tothe flap 30.

The platform 34 is provided with an opening 38 which receives the straw12 and which will .pull the straw up and generally guide it to aninclined position as illustrated in FIGURE 4 from an angulated conditionas illustrated in FIGURE 2.

In this form of the invention, the container 10 is opened in the usualmanner, that is by prying up on the free corner of the closure member20. When this is done, the straw 12 will naturally tend to straightenout and the lifting force on the upper end thereof by the side edges ofthe apertures 38 frictionally engaging the straw 12 as the platform 34moves upwardly will cause the straw to straighten out and move throughthe aperture 38 to the inclined position as illustrated in FIGURE 4whereby the straw is ready for use and will be held in this positionduring use by virtue of the platform 34.

Referring now to FIGURES 6 and 7, another form of the invention isgenerally designated by the numeral 84 and this form of the inventionincludes a top 88 in which there is provided an opening 90 having a plugtype closure 92 therein which is heat sealed or otherwise secured to thetop 88 and is provided with a bendable flangev 94 engaging the edges ofthe container. The plug type closure 92 is molded of unitaryconstruction such as plastic and is provided with a unitary dependingshank 96 centrally disposed thereon which is rigid with the plug 92 andprovided with an opening 98 receiving the flexible resilient straw 100of plastic material. The entire plug 92 is of one-piece construction andis preferably of plastic material and when the plug 92 is moved from theclosed to the open position as illustrated in FIGURE 7, the straw 100will be straightened out and the free end thereof will move out throughthe aperture 98 to the position illustrated in FIGURE 7.

FIGURES 8-10 illustrate another form of the invention generallydesignated by the numeral 102 which includes a container having a topwall 104 with a plug type closure 106 mounted therein by suitable meanssuch as heat sealing. In this form of the invention, the plug 106 is ofwaxed cardboard or the like and is provided with a sealed slit 108therein for receiving a depending shank 110 on a circular plate or disk112 disposed within the confines of the plug closure 106. The shank 110is rigid with the disk 112 and the disk 112 may be adhesively secured tothe plug 196 or secured thereto by heat sealing and the shank 110 isprovided with an aperture 114 through which the drinking straw 116extends substantially in the nature of the straw 100 in FIGURES 6 and 7.The aperture 114 in the shank 110 may be circular and may or may nothave serrations. Thus, when the plug 106-is moved to the opened positionas illustrated in FIGURE 10, the straw 116 will be moved to a straightline condition extending outwardly from the container for ease ofconsumption of the material within the container.

FIGURES 11-13 illustrate the present invention incorporated into aso-called hip roof container that is generally designated by the numeral120 and which includes a pair of upwardly inclined side portions 122 andinwardly extending and folded gable ends 124 with the upper edgesthereof being folded and sealed as at 126 and held in this position by afastener such as a staple or brad 128.

The inclined side wall 122 is provided with an opening 130 whichreceives a closure plug 132 having a flange 134 heat sealed to the sidewall portion 122. An opposite portion of the flange 134 is designated asa tab 136 by which the plug 132 may be pivoted upwardly to an openposition.

The plug 132 is provided with a depending projection or shank 138 havingan opening 140 therein which receives the flexible resilient straw 142.FIGURE 13 illustrates the position of the straw 142 when the plug 132 isin closed position while FIGURES 11 and 12 illustrate the orientation ofthe straw 142 when the plug 132 is moved to an open position. When theplug 132 .is swung upwardly to an open position, the upper end of thestraw 142 is pulled up through the opening 130 with the bend 144 in thestraw being capable of movement towards and away from the wall oppositeto the opening 130.

This type of carton may be made of waxed box board as is theconventional carton which is hot melt treated or it can be coated bothon the inside and the outside by a plastic lamination. If this carton ismade of waxed board, the periphery will not have the sealing foil as faras the closure plug is concerned. If the carton is plastic coated, theplug will have the foil or other suitable material for heat sealing thusproviding a proper seal for the invention and maintaining the devicerelatively inexpensive to. manufacture.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles ofthe invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalentsmay be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention asclaimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A consumable liquid container including a top wall, an openableclosure lid forming a portion of the top wall and sealingly andreleasably connected to the upper end of the container for enablingopening of the closure lid by lifting the free edge thereof upwardly, abendable resilient straw disposed within the container and beingcompletely free of the container, said straw being movable from a bentcondition disposed within the confines of the container to a straightline diagonal condition with one end thereof projecting from the openingin the top wall of the container formed when the closure lid is pivotedupwardly thereby enabling the contents of the container to be consumedthrough the straw, and tongue means carried by said closure lid looselyengaging the straw for moving the straw towards a straight linecondition during pivotal opening movement of the closure lid and forguiding and retaining the straw in its straight line condition duringuse thereby retaining the straw in position without requiring the use ofa persons hand to hold the straw, said depending means including 2.depending tab having an aperture therein for receiving the straw, saidtab being carried by a plug-type closure lid, said tab and closure lidbeing of one-piece construction.

2. A container having a peripheral wall and a top, said top including aclosure lid movable from a closed position to an open position wherebyaccess to the in-. terior of the container is facilitated, a bendablestraw disposed in said container and having portions thereof disposed inangular relation to reduce the over-all length, one portion of the strawhaving an end thereof disposed adjacent the closure lid when in closedposition and movable through the opening to a substantially diagonalposition when the lid is opened, means attached to said lid anddepending therefrom in encircling engagement with the straw forinitially elevating the end of the strawthrough the opening andpermitting the straw to slide therethrough to a full extended straightline condition whereby the free end of the straw will project outwardlybeyond the confines of the container, said means including a dependingtongue carried by the closure lid andspaced from the periphery of thelid, said tongue being. of unitary construction with the closure lid andbeing rigid therewith, the lower end of the tongue having an openingtherein receiving the end of said one portion of the straw.

3. A container having a peripheral wall and a top, said top including aclosure lid movable from a closed position to an open position wherebyaccess to the interior of the container is facilitated, a bendable strawdisposed in said container and having portions thereof disposed inangular relation to reduce the over-all length, one portion of the strawhaving an end thereof disposed adjacent the closure lid when in closedposition and movable through the opening to a substantially diagonalposition when the lid is opened, means attached to said lid anddepending therefrom in encircling engagement with the straw forinitially elevating the end of the straw through the opening and thenpermitting the straw to slide therethrough to a full extended straightline condition whereby the free end of the straw will project outwardlybeyond the confines of the container, said means including a dependingtongue carried by the closure lid and spaced from the periphery of thelid, said tongue being integral with a plate extending perpendicularlythereto at the upper end thereof, said plate being secured to the uppersurface of the lid with the tongue depending through the lid, the lowerend of tongue. having an aperture receiving the endof said one portionof the straw.

4. A container having a peripheral wall and a top, said top including aclosure lid movable from a closed position to an open position wherebyaccess to the interior of the container is facilitated, a bendable strawdisposed in said container and having portions thereof disposed inangular relation to reduce the over-all length, one portion of the strawhaving an end thereof disposed adjacent the closure lid when in closedposition and movable through the opening to a substantially diagonalposition when the lid is opened, means attached to said lid anddepending therefrom in encircling engagement with the straw forinitially elevating the end of the straw through the opening and thenpermitting the straw to slide therethrough to a full extended straightline condition whereby the free end of the straw will project outwardlybeyond the confines of the container, said means including a dependingtongue carried by the closure lid and spaced from the periphery of thelid, said lid being mounted on an inclined top wall having an openingtherein, said tongue being of unitary construction with the lid andbeing rigid therewith, said lid having an offset closure plugtelescopically received in said opening in the inclined top, said tongueprojecting inwardly in an inclined manner and having an opening thereinfor receiving the end of said one portion of the straw, said one portionof the straw being disposed generally in parallel relation to theinclined top of the container.

5. A container for a consumable liquid comprising a receptacle having atop thereon, said top including an openable closure member for providingaccess into the interior of the receptacle, said closure member normallyforming a sealed closure for the receptacle, a bendable resilient strawloosely disposed in the receptacle and having a straight line lengthgreater than the diagonal length of the receptacle and greater than thecombined diagonal dimension of the receptacle and closure member whenthe closure member is in open condition whereby the upper end of thestraw will be completely free of the receptacle and closure member forconsuming the liquid therethrough, the end portions of the straw beingdisposed in angular relation to each other thereby decreasing the lengthbetween the ends of the straw whereby the straw may be retained in thereceptacle when the closure member is closed and may be extended to astraight line diagonal condition when the closure member is moved to anopen position, means depending from said closure member for receivingthe upper end portion of the straw for moving the end portion outthrough the opening defined by the closure member when it is moved toits open position, said depending means enabling the straw to movelongitudinally in relation thereto so that the upper end portion of thestraw may move outwardly and upwardly in relation to the receptacle andclosure member therefor when the closure member is moved to its openposition.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/48 Lynch 229-4/51 Berry 2294s

1. A CONSUMABLE LIQUID CONTAINER INCLUDING A TOP WALL, AN OPENABLECLOSURE LID FORMING A PORTION OF THE TOP WALL AND SEALINGLY ANDRELEASABLY CONNECTED TO THE UPPER END OF THE CONTAINER FOR ENABLINGOPENING OF THE CLOSURE LID BY LIFTING THE FREE EDGE THEREOF UPWARDLY, ABENDABLE RESILIENT STRAW DISPOSED WITHIN THE CONTAINER AND BEINGCOMPLETELY FREE OF THE CONTAINER, SAID STRAW BEING MOVABLE FROM A BENTCONDITION DISPOSED WITHIN THE CONFINES OF THE CONTAINER TO A STRAIGHTLINE DIAGONAL CONDITION WITH ONE END THEREOF PROJECTING FROM THE OPENINGIN THE TOP WALL OF THE CONTAINER FORMED WHEN THE CLOSURE LID IS PIVOTEDUPWARDLY THEREBY ENABLING THE CONTENTS OF THE CONTAINER TO BE CONSUMEDTHROUGH THE STRAW, AND TONGUE MEANS CARRIED BY SAID CLOSURE LID LOOSELYENGAGING THE STRAW FOR MOVING THE STRAW TOWARDS A STRAIGHT LINECONDITION DURING PIVOTAL OPENING MOVEMENT OF THE CLOSURE LID AND FORGUIDING AND RETAINING THE STRAW IN ITS STRAIGHT LINE CONDITION DURINGUSE THEREBY RETAINING THE STRAW IN POSITION WITHOUT REQUIRING THE USE OFA PERSON''S HAND TO HOLD THE STRAW, SAID DEPENDING MEANS INCLUDING ADEPENDING TAB HAVING AN APERTURE THEREIN FOR RECEIVING THE STRAW, SAIDTAB BEING CARRIED BY A PLUG-TYPE CLOSURE LID, SAID TAB AND CLOSURE LIDBEING OF ONE-PIECE CONSTRUCTION.